Phil Neumann's Birmingham City career has been revived by a subtle tactical tweak from head coach Chris Davies, which has reduced risk-taking at the back and cemented his partnership with captain Christoph Klarer. The 29-year-old German, who was fourth choice centre-back last season, has been one of Blues' standout performers in the opening two matches of the new campaign, keeping clean sheets against Swansea City and Sheffield United.
Few expected Neumann to emerge from the summer as a key player after the arrival of Dael Fry, who has nearly 300 Championship appearances and captained Middlesbrough to the play-off final last season. But Davies has stayed loyal to the players who performed for him at the end of last season, and the partnership between Neumann and Klarer remains intact.
Adaptation to English Football
Davies praised Neumann's improvement, saying: "He did really well at the tail-end of last season and I just looked at him and – this is with the greatest respect because he's not a young player, he's an experienced player – you could see how he's learnt about English football. The adaptation has taken place for him in this league. Even though Bundesliga II is a physical league, there's nothing quite like the Championship."
Last season, Neumann was often fourth choice in the defensive pecking order, with critics pointing to his failure to use his 6ft 4in frame to dominate the box like Klarer. A notable example was Jimmy Dunne towering over Neumann to score for Queens Park Rangers in December. But that is no longer happening, as Neumann now relishes battles with Championship forwards like Patrick Bamford and Tom Cannon.
Klarer's Endorsement
Klarer has backed his defensive partner, stating: "I think it's fair to say Phil has improved massively in his time here. It does take a bit of time to adapt to the league, moving to England is a big step for him and his family. I've always seen that potential in him. His physique is unique and he's got that pace and strength. He had some tough periods last year but he stayed with the group and worked really hard and he's getting the rewards for it now."
Another flaw in Neumann's game was highlighted in a draw with West Bromwich Albion at St Andrew's in February, shortly before he was dropped for eight games: his ability to play out from the back. Davies tried to find a left-footed centre-back to partner Klarer, but neither Jack Robinson, Eiran Cashin, nor Jonathan Panzo strengthened the defence.
Tactical Tweak
A slight tweak in style towards the end of last season, once Neumann was reinstated, allowed Blues to stop forcing short passes in their own defensive third. Instead, Davies instructed defenders and goalkeeper James Beadle to play forward quickly, a mantra maintained through the summer and into the new campaign.
Davies explained: "I think if you get caught with the ball, low near your box, your full-back has to be deep and wide and having that left-footer to progress the ball is very helpful. If you look at all the best teams that are good in low build-up they will typically have a left-footed player, unless someone is really accomplished (Virgil van Dijk, for instance). We have avoided a lot of those situations in games recently. We have tweaked the first build-up phase, everything else has remained pretty similar."
He added: "We had a lot of good situations beating a press with a forward pass off a left foot which only a true left-footer can do, but it gives you the option of chopping inside onto the right foot and hitting some nice diagonal balls. There's strengths and weaknesses but definitely in that early build-up it changes it."
Blues are no longer concerned with elaborate patterns to play through presses and are happy to go over the top. This subtle change has reduced risk-taking at the back and brought the best out of a player whose future at the club was in doubt not so long ago.
Future at the Club
Transfer interest in Neumann six months ago would not have created much of a stir, but now there is a sense of relief that he has put the rumours to bed. Neumann said: "It's not on me, my agent is getting these calls but I don't care. My focus is on Birmingham and to do good in the season."
